Penn State running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen will turn down a chance at the 2025 NFL Draft and return to the Nittany Lions for their final seasons of eligibility. Both players are considered serious draft prospects and potential future NFL starters, but with their return, the Nittany Lions will have a strong argument for college football’s best running back combo in 2025.
“We still have goals we want to reach as a team and I want to be alongside my teammates as we reach those goals,” Singleton wrote in a statement posted to X. “I am scheduled to graduate this fall and will earn a degree from Penn State University, which has always been a goal for me.”
Singleton was rated the No. 1 running back and a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022 out of Reading, Pennsylvania. He cleared 1,000 yards rushing twice in three seasons and rushed for 2,912 yards, posted 768 yards receiving and scored 40 total touchdowns.
Allen committed to Penn State in the same recruiting class as a four-star recruit out of IMG Academy. He emerged as a steady rock running the ball and posted his first 1,000-yard rushing season as a junior. Allen was exceptional in his final four games, rushing for 410 yards on 6.7 yards per carry.
“I have learned so much about football and life from being a part of this elite organization that coach [James] Franklin leads,” Allen wrote on X. “Throughout my life, my family and support system has been critical in helping me in my football journey. Through discussions with them, my coaches and teammates, it’s clear that we still have a lot more to accomplish as a team at Penn State.”
Penn State is set to return the vast majority of its offensive production from a national semifinalist team. Quarterback Drew Allar previously announced his return, meaning that the Nittany Lions could return as many as six of the top seven players on the roster in yards from scrimmage. Only tight end Tyler Warren is out of eligibility after winning the John Mackey Award.
Defense also aided by key returns
Penn State’s defense also received great news for next season with the return of defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. The junior and one-time five-star recruit is an anchor along the line, particularly now that Abdul Carter is off to the NFL. Dennis-Sutton set career highs this season with 42 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, plus two forced fumbles and an interception.
“We were on the brink of greatness, and that taste of what could be has only made me hungrier,” Dennis-Sutton wrote on X. “The job’s not done yet — we’ve got unfinished business to take care of together.”
Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen agreed to take the some job at Clemson, CBS Sports confirmed, so keeping Dennis-Sutton as a foundational piece for a unit that will undergo some notable offseason change is significant win for a top-10 defensive unit.
Also helping to lead that charge in 2025 will be defensive tackle Zane Durant, who announced his intention to return for his senior season on Saturday. Durant posted 42 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks this season — all career highs.
